For those of us who are unfamiliar with Berkley PowerBait, it floats, it's a soft artificial, and is usually shape like red salmon eggs. Now PowerBait comes in a variety of colors and shapes.
There are 3" Trout Worms. They are usually hooked about an inch or so behind the end.
2" Power Minnows hooked so they'll float inline with the current.
Berkley Gulp Trout Dough bait. You mold it so that it'll cover the whole hook. Trout Nuggets are pre-molded trout dough. They're available in a variety of colors; Chunky Chartreuse, Grassy Green, Buttercup Yellow, etc. These and other items are all available at Bass Pro Shops.
Tackle
A 5 - 5 1/2 foot ultra-light rod and reel spooled with 4# test line. Trout have good eyesight and anything heavier than 6# test can be seen by the fish, especially in the clear water you'll be fishing.
How to Rig Your Bait
Slip the line through a 1/4 - 3/8 oz. egg sinker and tie a #10 or #12 barrel swivel to the end of the line. The swivel acts as a stop for the sinker. You may need a heavier sinker (1/2 oz.)depending on current flow, wind, etc. Then tie either a pre-rigged gang hook ( if regs. allow them ) or a single #8 or 10 hook to your leader. The length depends on conditions.
Make a dough ball or take a nugget and bait the hook covering the whole thing. PowerBait floats. Test the rig near the bank or somewhere to assure the bait is floating. If not, add a little more. That'll help to keep your bait from getting hung up on any bottom debris.
Now you're ready to fish. Gently cast out your line. PowerBait is soft and can be thrown off if you really whip it out there. Let the bait sink and reel up any slack until the line is taut. Set the rod in a rod holder of some sort that'll keep the line taut. Watch the rod tip for any movement. When the tip starts bouncing, grab your rod, reel in until you feel the weight of the fish, and set the hook. If you don't get any bites after 30 mins. or so, reel up and check your bait, maybe try another color or something, and try again. After the 2nd or 3rd time, you might want to move somewhere else. This is a still-fishing method and works best for stocked trout in lakes, rivers, and streams. I've heard that stocked fish seem to like it so much, they must have been raised on it.
If you're using worms or minnows, raise your rod tip up a few inches every couple of minutes to make the bait appear to be diving to the bottom.
High mountain lakes are a different story. PowerBait can work there, but trout in those places have a short feeding season and therefore will tend to eat things they are familiar with. Insects, leeches, flies, or whatever they have in their watery environment. PowerBait isn't something they're used to seeing.
